Versatile Varioline
At work at the start of the dry end are a Modulpal Pro 2A depalletizer with high-level discharge, a Pressant Universal 1N sweep-off depalletizer, and a Smartpac unpacker.
For packing the filled bottles, the kit includes a Varioline 3M packaging system with a Variocol carton sealer. A Modulpal Pro 3AR places the finished packs on pallets.
The three modules of the Varioline accommodate a wide variety of packaging options, including:
- Packing loose 0.33 and 0.25-liter glass bottles into crates or cartons
- Packing 0.75-liter bottles into crates or cartons that are then sealed by the Variocol
- Adding Sunshields to crates
- Applying neck clips
- Producing clusters of 4 or 6 “over-the-top-closed” packs and packing them into cartons or crates
“This Varioline provides exceptional flexibility. It allows us to produce a wide range of packs,” says Bernard Degroote, who is responsible for production planning. “It’s a beautiful sight to see the Varioline in action. Of course, it requires a certain level of knowledge on the part of the operator. That’s why it’s important to me that our staff has the training they need – and we get that from Krones Belgium.”
In all, the brewery plans to produce more than 50 SKUs (Stock Keeping Units). The Varioline is also essential because around 40 percent of De Halve Maan beer is now sold internationally, primarily in Western Europe but also across the globe in Mexico, Brazil, and China. “That means we need a highly versatile system that can handle the widest imaginable range of packaging options. Belgian beer is known the world over. That’s our advantage when it comes to exports,” says Xavier Vanneste.
This Varioline provides exceptional flexibility. It allows us to produce a wide range of packs.
Bernard DegrooteProduction planner at De Halve Maan
“In the end, it was easy to choose Krones”
Thanks to the increased capacity, the company is able to stick to a single production shift on the line. The brewery fills around 65,000 hectoliters a year, about one-third of which goes into bottles. Because De Halve Maan is able to run relatively large batches, changeovers are necessary only three to five times a week.
“Installation of the entire line went very smoothly to my mind,” says Bernard Degroote. “Krones sent a large team that really did their best all along to integrate our operators and teach them about how the line works.” As the person responsible for production planning for filling, Degroote was also involved in awarding the contract. “We looked at several reference lines from various manufacturers. Since we had already had a positive experience with the first glass line from Krones and the brewhouse, and because it seemed that Krones had installed the majority of lines of this magnitude in Belgium, the decision was easy in the end,” he explains. Brewmaster Frederik Verstringe gets more specific: “As we see it, Krones offered the best cost-benefit ratio and strong service in Belgium since there are already so many Krones lines running here.” De Halve Maan also signed a seven-year service agreement with Krones to ensure that maintenance needs are covered.
As we see it, Krones offered the best cost-benefit ratio.
Frederik VerstringeBrewmaster at De Halve Maan
“It was a nice team”
Xavier Vanneste has good things to say about the collaboration: “Krones is very professional. They’re the experts when it comes to turnkey lines. They know what they’re doing.” He adds, “It was a nice team. The human factor invariably plays an important role. Of course there were challenges – that’s sort of inevitable with big projects like this – but there were also always solutions.” And now, it’s up to them to keep the ball rolling, as the brewery owner knows: “We’re confident that our employees will become more deeply familiar with the new line as we move through intensive training from Krones and learn to really take advantage of the new options it opens up. Running a successful production operation is increasingly a matter of knowledge, having the right people, and good teamwork.”
While some of his family members were skeptical when Xavier Vanneste first decided to restart the brewery, he’s since proved them wrong: “We’re probably the fastest-growing brewery in Belgium right now,” he believes. These days, everyone is very proud of Xavier Vanneste and his decision to get back into the beer business.
Krones – they’re the experts when it comes to turnkey lines. They know what they’re doing.
Xavier Vanneste Owner of De Halve Maan
One of Belgium’s most-visited breweries
The old De Halve Maan brewery in the center of historic Bruges, a tourist magnet in its own right, now houses a museum and a restaurant that serves their beers as well as a menu to complement them. Before the coronavirus pandemic started, the brewery welcomed more than 100,000 visitors each year and was among the most-visited breweries in all of Belgium. But like so many others, the brewery was hit hard by the country’s seven-month lockdown, since on-site consumption had accounted for a large share of revenue. And so, sales had to shift to retailers. Business is now recovering, but “2020 and 2021 were two lost years,” says Xavier Vanneste, adding wryly, “It was the ‘perfect’ time to start up a new filling line.” But every cloud has a silver lining – and De Halve Maan is now optimally equipped to really ramp up production.
